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Local man owns Idaho's only shrimp farm on the Palouse

Pat Vaughn is the owner of Cowboy Shrimp Farm. Potlatch, Idaho isn't mainly known for its seafood, but Vaughn said he started his business because of a demand for shrimp.

POTLATCH, Idaho — A North Idaho man is farming something that's never been grown in the area. It doesn't grow in soil, but grows in salt water instead.

Pat Vaughn is the owner of a shrimp farm outside of Potlatch, Idaho.

After leaving the mining business in Indonesia, Vaughn was looking for a new way to make a buck. He ran across an article on the internet about shrimp farming in New York so he did the research and got into the business.

Soon enough, Cowboy Shrimp Farm was born.

"These tanks are essentially large swimming pools. Each one can hold up to 3,500 shrimp," said Vaughn.

Vaughn said he gets the shrimp when they're young and then meticulously maintains a good balance of saltwater, bacteria and food for the shrimp to grow.

"If you taste these shrimp, it's just like they came off the boat," said Vaughn.

Potlatch, Idaho isn't quite known for its seafood, but Vaughn said he started his business because of a demand for shrimp.

He said he didn't need an excessive amount of land or capital to get started.

"All my research shows I'm going to make money. I just hope I do," said Vaughn.

The shrimp are the same type sold in stores. When it is all done, Vaughn said he expects to be cranking out up to 350 pounds of shrimp each month.

"I come in and net them, I put them on ice, and you walk out the door with them," Vaughn said. "They're that fresh, if not fresher because they're still alive. They have a nice, sweet flavor to them."

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